Artwork
Predella panel with Saint Martial, Saint Sebastian, and Saint Mary Magdalen from Retable
Predella panel with Saint Martial, Saint Sebastian, and Saint Mary Magdalen from Retable is a tempera painting by the Early Renaissance artist Domingo Ram. It dates from 1500 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Together, the trio embodies complementary models of holy life, martyrdom, penitence, and pastoral mission, appropriate to the devotional purpose of a retable.
The predella panel by Domingo Ram, executed in tempera around 1500, presents three devotional figures drawn from Christian hagiography: Saint Martial, Saint Sebastian, and Saint Mary Magdalen. According to the work's cataloguing, the panel depicts Saint Sebastian and Mary Magdalen alongside a male saint, with the broader scene classified as religious art. As a predella element of a larger retable, the panel would have functioned as a base supporting a more elaborate altarpiece, situating these saints as intercessors and exemplars for the viewer.
Saint Sebastian, traditionally shown wounded by arrows, and Mary Magdalen, often associated with penitence, represent suffering and redemption, while Saint Martial, an early missionary bishop venerated particularly in France, lends apostolic authority. Together, the trio embodies complementary models of holy life, martyrdom, penitence, and pastoral mission, appropriate to the devotional purpose of a retable.
Technique & Style
The panel is executed in tempera on a wooden support, a technique typical of early sixteenth‑century Spanish religious painting. Its small format and placement within a predella indicate it was intended as a narrative component of a larger altarpiece. The work depicts Saints Martial, Sebastian and Mary Magdalene, figures associated with martyrdom and penitence, rendered with the flat modeling and vivid coloration characteristic of tempera.
The composition reflects the devotional emphasis of the period, grouping the saints in a shallow spatial arrangement that prioritizes iconographic clarity over naturalism. The painting is recorded in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, confirming its provenance.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1500, this tempera-on-panel predella was executed by the artist Domingo Ram. The work functions as a religious composition depicting Saint Martial, Saint Sebastian, and Saint Mary Magdalen, originally serving as part of a larger retable. While specific details regarding its original commission or intermediate ownership history are not provided in the available records, the panel is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The dating of the inception to the year 1500 establishes the work within the turn of the sixteenth century.
Overview
This tempera painting, created by Domingo Ram around 1500, is a predella panel originally forming part of a larger altarpiece. It features three venerated figures: Saint Martial, Saint Sebastian, and Saint Mary Magdalen. The work is currently housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering a glimpse into late medieval devotional art.
Artist & collection
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